Do Not Steal
It appears that what comes with living in a rural area surrounded by a wide array of beautiful creatures, and an infinite amount of trees are power outages; and they come often. I happen to be sitting in one right now. Regardless of the outage, I enjoy making the best of this time by pondering on all that YAHWEH has to say to us and I am continuing by addressing His commandments. This week I am touching on commandment number 8 You Shall Not Steal. Exodus 20:13,,, You shall not steal. (Israelite Samaritan) Deuteronomy 5:17,,, Do not steal (CJB). I imagine I will not be able to complete this devotional until tomorrow morning as my battery will drain far before I finish. I was correct, so until tomorrow; I will take advantage of the darkness in my home by practicing up on my photography light painting. This particular concept has to be done in complete darkness and allows the photographer to create archaic still life photos that look much like paintings from an ancient era. Well now, this is my third attempt and I believe I’m getting better. You can compare my image above to those in the link. What do you think? 🫣🤭 OK, OK, so I still have a long way to go; but just like walking in covenant with YAHWEH, I will enjoy the journey.
What does our Creator mean by do not steal? It means do not take something that is not yours. Oxford’s dictionary defines steal as “to take (another person's property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it.” Also, Leviticus 19:11 states Do not steal from, defraud or lie to each other. (CJB), there are even several written consequences regarding stealing for example, Exodus 21:16 He who steals a person and sells him, or he is found in his possession, he shall surely be put to death. (Aramaic Peshitta) and Exodus 22:7 If a person entrusts a neighbor with money or goods, and they are stolen from the trustee’s house, then, if the thief is found, he must pay double. (CJB) In my early 20’s and as a teen, I used to have to take 15 minute breaks at work, sometimes I took 20 believing no one will notice; this is theft because I definitely didn’t work an extra 15 minutes over my shift and according to Exodus 22:7, I owed 30 mins. As a teenager I sold a product at the mall, and when I would receive the exact amount, I would pocket it without ringing it up when no one was looking. Clearly this was theft. I have as well taken pencils or pens from my job, believing that this is a small matter, but no transgression (sin) is a small matter; YAHWEH sees it all and where He is concerned, there are not varying degrees of transgression, they all carry the same weight. I am confident that YAHWEH had His hand on me all during this time especially with the mall theft, I eventually got caught by my manager and was spoken to sternly where I could have gotten fired or otherwise. YAHWEH knew that lecture was enough to deter me from doing it again and it was; I was scared out of my britches when I got caught and never did it again and became more circumspect regarding stealing over time; but did I steal again later in life, yes I did. Another theft I engaged in was regarding taxes, and everyone during that time was doing it so I thought, out of all these people doing this, they are not trying to come after me. Not only did I believe this, a friend who was a basically a professional at this scheme said this to me. So I was confident in taking part in it and told myself taxes are a rip off anyways, and I wasn’t really stealing. See how satan enters in with his lies, because I was stealing. Romans 13:7 says: Pay everyone what he is owed: if you owe the tax-collector, pay your taxes; if you owe the revenue-collector, pay revenue; if you owe someone respect, pay him respect; if you owe someone honor, pay him honor. (CJB). It is very easy to get caught up in the ways of this world and yet again, as YAHWEH saw fit, out of all these so called people who I believed were doing this same scheme, guess who out of all of them got caught, again. 🤷🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️I was someone who had given my heart, my life and faithfulness to the one true Creator of all but I, like many was ignorant as to how to do this. YAHWEH knew that I did not know how to worship Him, so He has chastised me along the way and I’m grateful for it. Hebrews 12:6 For YAHWEH disciplines those he loves and whips everyone he accepts as a son. (CJB). I have long since repented and I do not steal anymore.
Theft can even cause great emotional damage spilling over into the lives of others, for example when a person steals another person’s spouse. This act breaks both the 7th and 8th commandment because it is theft and adultery. 1 Corinthians 7:2 says: Well, because of the danger of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife and each woman her own husband. (CJB) It appears that marriage can also serve as protection to prevent adultery, but satan is always in the details and without making YESHUA the head of the home, the world falls into transgression (sin). Another example of theft is for example, I’m walking down the street and 200.00 drops out of the pocket of the person walking in front of me, I pick it up and put it into my pocket and say nothing. This example reminds me of Exodus 23:4 If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey straying, you must return it to him. (CJB) To keep the ox or donkey would be theft, and so would keeping the 200.00.
To conclude brothers and sisters lets examine our lives and cease from stealing in any form or fashion which includes our time from YAHWEH. He is the Creator of all things, and for those who have chosen to walk in covenant with Him, He is also our Father who loves us and He wants to spend time with us. When I read in Genesis 3:8 They heard the voice of YAHWEH, ELOHIM, walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, so the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of YAHWEH, ELOHIM, among the trees in the garden. (CJB). This suggests to me that it was normal for YAHWEH to walk through the garden with Adam and Eve. They were used to spending time with Him and even though we are fallen, YAHWEH has provided a way to redeem us through YESHUA and seeks to spend time with us through His RUACH HA’KODESH. So among other kinds of thefts one can do, do yourself a favor and don’t steal spending time with YAHWEH. Keep His weekly Shabbat and His Moedim’s (Appointed Times (holidays)). This kind of theft puts us at a great disadvantage and weakens us spiritually in this world. Let’s not be in danger of YESHUA saying to us Matthew 7:23 Then I will tell them to their faces, ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’ (CJB) Spending time with YAHWEH-YESHUA now, will ensure that He won’t say this to us later.
Shalom & Berekah!
Just a few supporting verses:
You shall not steal. (Israelite Samaritan) (CJB)
-Exodus 20:13,,,
Do not steal (CJB).
-Deuteronomy 5:17,,,
Do not steal from, defraud or lie to each other. (CJB)
-Leviticus 19:11
He who steals a person and sells him, or he is found in his possession, he shall surely be put to death. (Aramaic Peshitta)
-Exodus 21:16
If a person entrusts a neighbor with money or goods, and they are stolen from the trustee’s house, then, if the thief is found, he must pay double. (CJB)
-Exodus 22:7
Pay everyone what he is owed: if you owe the tax-collector, pay your taxes; if you owe the revenue-collector, pay revenue; if you owe someone respect, pay him respect; if you owe someone honor, pay him honor. (CJB).
-Romans 13:7
For YAHWEH disciplines those he loves and whips everyone he accepts as a son. (CJB).
-Hebrews 12:6
Well, because of the danger of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife and each woman her own husband. (CJB)
-1 Corinthians 7:2
If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey straying, you must return it to him. (CJB)
-Exodus 23:4
They heard the voice of YAHWEH, God, walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, so the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of YAHWEH, God, among the trees in the garden. (CJB).
-Genesis 3:8
Then I will tell them to their faces, ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’ (CJB)
-Matthew 7:23
Who steal, who are greedy, who get drunk, who assail people with contemptuous language, who rob — none of them will share in the Kingdom of God. (CJB)
-1 Corinthians 6:10
The thief must stop stealing; instead, he should make an honest living by his own efforts. This way he will be able to share with those in need. (CJB)
-Ephesians 4:28